The Smell Of The Haunt

So in past years, I have really focused in on a few detail aspects of my display: sight and sound. 

I arrange everything in a visually appealing way with a hierarchy of focus and light (that is, the most important and detailed props are front and center in the display with full-color spotlighting while less important pieces - my potter's field wooden crosses - flank the edges with only a wash of light). It all keeps the viewer's eye focused on the center of the display.

I have also spent years developing the sounds of the display. I have settled on dark ambient audio as the main background audio - enveloping, menacing sound to create a sense of unease that stays in the background without creating any noticeable hints to distract or bring attention to it. I also add some spot sounds throughout to add detail and focus to certain props, be it a quick accent sound or vocal cue.

But the third pillar of the display still escapes me: scent. I want to create a full haunt experience for the trick-or-treaters and their families by also giving scent to add to their experience. Thus far, I have been using scents in my fog which has worked well, but only when the fog is shooting from one of my fog machines.

Last year, I added two incense cone burners to either side of my main archway which sits centered at the front of my display. I thought that position would be optimal as it's right against the sidewalk where everyone passes. They would be sure to catch a hint of scent as they stood and took the display in.

Unfortunately, the scent dissipated pretty quickly and was dispersed by the constant breezes on Halloween night.

I also ended up pitching the incense from last year, as the scent that I picked out was far too "perfumy" for my liking...

But on a whim, I grabbed these new Midnight Woods Scented Incense Cones from Michael's and am quite pleased with the scent. Woodsy with a hint of patchouli spice. I think it will be a great, earthy scent for the Cemetery this Halloween!

And here is where I hand it over to you. Do any of you use scent in your haunts, and how do you disperse it without it immediately blowing away in the wind?? Or am I just doomed to fail on this one???

I'll keep tinkering, but I'd love to hear your tips or ideas to make this work!

  

Ashland Hanging Tattered Reaper Prop Upgrade

My second prop of the season is done! I recently picked up an Ashland Hanging Tattered Reaper from Michael's. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but I knew that it was a good starting point and that I could make something really cool with it. The only idea I had was to convert it from a flimsy hanging prop into a freestanding piece that would take its place at the front fence of my Cemetery display.

After about two weeks of creating, corpsing, detailing, and fine tuning, I took the finished piece out to a great open field near my house for some epic photos.

My finished piece...

After bringing the original piece home from the store, I got to work disassembling all the parts and building a new t-shaped body frame out of 3/4" PVC piping. I added PVC elbow pieces for the shoulders and neck, and then added extra PVC pieces and elbows to make rigid, bent arms. I next used old packing bubble wrap to bulk out the upper torso. Finally, I hit sections of the main support PVC pipe with a heat gun, bending areas to create a twisted and hunched figure.

I then took the skull and added a screw to the jaw to set it open as if screaming, and did a full, multilayered corpsing with plastic drop cloth and my trusty heat gun. I added a PVC plug into the bottom of the skull, and attached it at an angle to the neck, giving it a contorted, twisted look. And once the head was set, I added a corpsed neck section for added realism and bulk (and to cover the inner PVC frame).

Next, I cut the original, flimsy wire-and-foam arms from the form and stuffed and glued them into the ends of the new PVC arm sections that I had built. Once they were set and dry, I did the same corpsing technique to both arms and hands.

Once the twisted body form was set and fully corpsed, I reattached the original cloak (after a bit of extra tattering, bleach splattering, and a light misting of orange spray paint) to the body. It now had an old, earthy appearance, perfect for the decayed look I was going for. I also ended up leaving the original plastic chain attached, giving it a mist of the orange spray paint to give it an old, rusted look.

After finishing the cloak, the final step was adding a wood stain to the corpsed flesh areas of the body. I concentrated the most detail on the head, adding heavy coats of stain and quickly wiping away the raised areas to create higher contrast around the eyes, nose and mouth.

And that was it! Another new piece ready to be placed into this year's display. A quick and easy upgrade to a store-bought piece that is going to look a thousand times better. I'm SUPER happy with the results and really excited to now start on the next, even bigger prop!